Soro Descends Upon Earth

"Yes, Atlantis." Vegeta nodded slightly. "I remember now."

"Although he isn't of much use," Nappa sighed, "the remaining Saiyans are already few and far between."

"Bring him here," Vegeta snorted. "Let him serve as our logistics support."

"He'll surely be kowtowing in gratitude," Nappa laughed. "The technological level of that planet is mediocre—not even as advanced as Earth's. I'm afraid he's been trapped on that rock this whole time, unable to leave."

The two exchanged a smile.

Three hours passed in the blink of an eye.

The sun shifted from directly overhead to the west.

Goku still hadn't arrived.

"Time's up." Vegeta let out a cold snort, stood up from the rock, and brushed the dust off his body. "There's no point in waiting any longer."

He tilted his head, his gaze sweeping coldly over Krillin and the others.

"That coward Kakarot isn't coming!"

"My dad is not a coward!" Son Gohan shouted, his small face flushed bright red.

"Oh no!" Krillin's face fell, his legs turning to jelly. "Why isn't Goku here yet?"

He turned to look at the distant sky, then back at Piccolo.

Piccolo didn't speak, only gritted his teeth tightly.

"Fine then." Nappa stepped forward, clenching his fists until his knuckles cracked.

He sighed, his tone carrying a hint of regret.

"It's a shame Kakarot isn't here!"

"I'm going to die," Krillin whimpered, his voice trembling. "I haven't even had a girlfriend yet!"

"There is only one slim hope of victory," Piccolo said in a low voice. "Of course, that is if we succeed!"

Krillin and Son Gohan immediately turned to look at Piccolo.

A flicker of hope ignited in their eyes.

"First," Piccolo lowered his voice, whispering while keeping a peripheral eye on the positions of Nappa and Vegeta, "Krillin will draw his attention."

Krillin swallowed hard and nodded.

"Then, I will seize the opportunity to grab the Saiyan's weakness—his tail!" Piccolo continued.

"Alright." Krillin took a deep breath and agreed, though he felt helpless.

"While he is struggling and unable to fight back," Piccolo said to Gohan, "Gohan, attack him with everything you've got!"

"Y-yes." Son Gohan nodded repeatedly, terrified, his small hands balled into trembling fists.

Even so, he mustered the courage to speak.

"I won't run away this time, I promise!"

Piccolo lowered his head, his gaze resting on Son Gohan as he said in a deep voice, "Just keep in mind that the fate of the Earth rests in your hands."

Son Gohan looked up, his lips moving, but no words came out.

He paused.

Piccolo took a deep breath, his voice softening with a rare touch of gentleness. "Gohan, as long as you have confidence and fight bravely, your power is even greater than mine."

Son Gohan's mouth twitched, his Adam's apple bobbing as his heart hammered against his ribs, threatening to leap out of his chest.

I don't want to fight.

I want to be a great scholar.

But he didn't say it aloud; he only gripped his fists tighter.

"Alright!" Krillin let out a loud shout, slamming his fists together in front of him. "Let's do this!"

He clenched his fists tightly, bent his knees slightly, and gathered his ki beneath his feet, his eyes locked firmly on Nappa as he prepared to charge and draw his attention.

However, at that very moment.

"Whoosh!"

A fireball suddenly appeared high in the sky.

It dove toward the ground in the distance at incredible speed, leaving a long white trail in its wake.

The fireball was strikingly conspicuous against the blue sky, looking like a burning meteor.

Vegeta looked up, squinting his eyes at the sky.

Nappa also stopped his advance, tilting his head back to track the fireball with his gaze.

Krillin, Son Gohan, and Piccolo clearly noticed the fireball as well, all of them looking up at the sky in unison.

"A spaceship?" Nappa paused, scratching his bald head. "Isn't that a Frieza Force ship?"

"Hmm?" Vegeta narrowed his eyes, gazing into the distance toward the direction of the fireball, the corners of his mouth dipping slightly. "Is that one of Frieza's men?"

"Vegeta." Nappa furrowed his brows, turning his head to ask Vegeta, "Does Frieza know we came to Earth? Did we fail to report our trip to Earth to Frieza?"

"Hmph." Vegeta let out a cold snort, his chin lifting slightly. "There was no need!"

He raised his hand and pressed the button on the side of his scouter.

A string of data flickered across the scouter's screen.

"What's the power level of the guy who arrived?" Nappa hurriedly leaned in to ask.

"Only 1,000." Vegeta glanced at the screen, a look of contempt curling the corners of his mouth. "It must be a scout sent to pave the way."

"A power level of 1,000!" Nappa immediately grew interested, rubbing his hands together with a cruel grin. "That's hilarious! Should we just wipe him out?"

"Let's wait and see first." Vegeta pondered for a moment, crossing his arms over his chest as his gaze returned to the descending fireball.

Piccolo, Krillin, and Son Gohan were likewise staring blankly at the incoming spaceship.

Krillin swallowed hard, lowering his voice. "That... that looks like a Saiyan spaceship!"

He turned to look at Piccolo, his eyes filled with a hint of unease.

"Could it be that there are other Saiyans besides those two?"

"No." Piccolo shook his head slowly, his eyes locked onto the ship. "Looking at their expressions, the person arriving shouldn't be a Saiyan."

He paused.

"I suspect the only Saiyans left are the few of you."

"Even if he isn't a Saiyan." Krillin's face fell, turning deathly pale. "Judging by the style of the spaceship, he might still be one of their cohorts. This is truly bad!"

After a brief moment of shock.

Krillin's eyes darted around, and he suddenly lowered his voice, whispering into Piccolo's ear. "Piccolo, that guy is watching the spaceship land right now—why don't we take this chance to grab his tail!"

"It's useless." Piccolo shook his head slowly, his gaze never leaving Nappa and Vegeta. "That would only put him on guard."

"Rumble!"

The next moment, the spaceship carrying Soro landed on the ground not far away.

The base of the ship blasted out scorching waves of air, kicking up a sky full of dust.

The ground shook violently, and gravel was sent rolling everywhere by the shockwave.

After the dust settled, a large crater remained on the ground.

"Creak!"

The spaceship hatch opened, and white mist surged out from the gap.

Soro stepped out from the ship.

He planted his feet on the uneven ground, looked up at the unfamiliar sky, and took a deep breath.

Then, he slowly ascended into the high air.

Scanning his surroundings, Soro immediately sensed several powerful auras appearing not far away.